Off to Istanbul (1) Getting there

The school closed for Easter break and we thought that we should get away for a few days. Istanbul had received so many rave reviews from friends who had spent time there. After Cairo at Christmas, Istanbul for Easter just made sense. Remembering London at Christmas two years before, and how everything was closed, it seemed smart to continue our new theme of visiting the Muslim countries for the Christian holidays. Everything was more likely to be open.

We headed out by car, driving across Georgia to Batumi on the Black Sea. We'd never been there, and since the flights to Turkey were cheaper from Batumi, compared to Tbilisi, we figured we'd spend a day there when we returned.
It was a six-hour drive, through varied scenery, with some spectacular views.

The Caucasus Mountains from a distance

Bathroom in the middle of nowhere

Batumi turned out to be a growing city, with lots of construction going on. In fact, nearly all the local city streets were dug up for some project, so it was nearly impossible to drive around.

Arriving in Batumi

Streets under construction

We gave up on seeing any of Batumi this day and just drove out to the airport, parked the car, and waited for the flight to Istanbul.